I find numbers like 1.7, 2.2 & 2.7 for size on spray skirts. What do the numbers on the size of a spray skirt mean?
Rand Size
Different size skirts for different size cockpits.
The problem is that there is no industry standard for the sizes and the system has changed more than a few times.
check SEALS
web site they have a size guide based on the manufacturer and model of kayak “for their” spray skirts.
problem
The rest of the problem is I have a custom coaming (on a custom kayak) that I need a skirt for.
Make a tracing
Seals or Snapdragon can take a tracing from you of the coaming of your boat and come up with a skirt that’ll fit it. Call whichever one you prefer and talk to someone there to arrange it first, then send in the tracing per their instructions. At least with neo deck skirts, I’ve known of this being done. May also have happened with nylon decked skirts.
skirt size
hi…suggestion …measure the size of your cockpit opening ( L x W , at longest /widest points)and then find a kayak with the approx. same size opening thru any kayak company’s web site ,starting with well known kayak company’s…i know …lot of work! …record the brand/make /model of that kayak , repost that kayak info …i have a Seals skirt catalogue that is sized by brand / model …for instance …My current designs Solstice GT is a size 1.4 per catalog. My wilderness systems cape lookout is a size 1.7
Hope this may help sort things out.
Seals sizes
are meaningless. They are more of a model number than anything else. 1.0 was their first size and so on …
Seals does not charge extra for a custom skirt. Go to their website and you will find instructions for making a tracing of your cockpit coaming and where to locate the back of the tunnel in relation to your backband. You then pick out what skirt you want and have your local dealer order it for you with a note that you are sending them a tracing. Mail it off and hope you don’t hit their busy season and in a few weeks your dealer will give you a call to say you custom skirt is in.
I had them make a custom skirt for my Sparrow Hawk this past summer. I was very careful with the tracing, tunnel location and size, and ended up with a great fitting skirt.
As others have said, Snapdragon does custom work as well.
Cheers,
~wetzool
rebuttal about skirt sizes
hi wetz…not to start a petty, BS quarrel here but i have to disagree with your statement about skirt sizes …as you go up in numbers , you go up in overall size of skirts …the 1.7 skirt for my WS kayak is to big for the solstice gt cockpit , which is a size 1.4…appropiately a skirt for a loon will not fit a smaller sea kayak cockpit or vice versa…size # does matter !!!
Only vaguely…
– Last Updated: Jan-22-08 7:54 AM EST –
Other than big sizes usually being bigger, there's more variation in exactly how they match up than you'd expect. It has taken a collection of neoprene skirts to discover the vagaries - right now I have five for the various boats and my husband has at least one more than that. But between ourselves and our local paddling group we have seen things like a 1.2 skirt working on a cockpit that is supposed to take a 1.7 as well as a skirt for a larger cockpit from Seals or other manufacturers being too tight on a supposedly slightly smaller cockpit. And my first WW skirt had to go back for a tweak to Snapdragon (which they did fine) even though it was the correct size on paper.
The skirt makers get it mostly right, but the shape of the cockpits can vary enough that it can mess up the scheme. No big deal - the good ones will fix it no charge - but it's worth leaving a couple of weeks spare between getting a new skirt and really really needing it for a paddle.
skirt sizing
Hi all …i guess , all things considered, best thing to do is take the kayak with you to a dealer and try on diff skirts till ya find one that fits well, if that is at all possible.
The best solution …
is to bring your boat to the dealer and try on the various stock sizes - as you stated.
You are generally correct in that the larger numbers are for larger sized skirts, but the number scheme has no real meaning (i.e. it is nonparametric), other than they produced the 1.2 size before they added the 1.4 size and so on. In fact if you measure the circumference of a 1.2 and 1.4 skirt they will be identical. So what’s up with that? Well, it’s the shape. One is a bit longer and narrower, the other is a bit shorter, but wider. A 1.2 will fit on my Valley Avocet, but a 1.4 will fit better because it is a shade narrower.
~wetzool
They do charge
But it isn’t a lot. Seals charges a 10 percent customization fee for anything beyond a stock skirt. This includes color, tube height or placement, skirt size, extra pocket, whatever. One charge, 10 percent of stock skirt price. They cannot customize all their skirts, only a few, but from their site, you can find out which one and which colors are available.
I wouldn’t get too caught up with numbers, they are mostly arbitrary. For the most part, a larger number does mean a bigger skirt, but it has a lot to do with shape as well. Neoprene will have more give and be more adaptable whereas nylon needs a more exact cut.
Can anyone here tell me what size of Seals spray skirt would fit around an 88" cockpit combing correctly? (85 inches on the inside circumference of the combing)
1.7?
1.4?
1.something???
Did you check Seals’ online size guide? Covers almost all production boats.
Yes, I went there 1st, but the old kayak we have was made in 1986 in England by Pyranha. It’s called an Everest 390. It’s 12’ 9" long. Later they made a kayak simply called the Everest and it’s 8’ 6" long. Not even close to the same kayak. The Seals chart shows the Everest, but not the Everest 390.
The outside circumference of the combing is 88" on the Everest 390, so I am trying to find with that equates to in their sizing (or anyone else’s for that matter)
The outside circumference alone won’t tell you what size skirt you need. The shape of the opening and position of the seat all factor in. It is very easy to make a template and have a custom skirt made. I just had one done by Seals a few months ago. Please note that Snapdragon is no longer in business.
Call or email Seals about sending them a tracing. With Snap Dragon gone they are now the only manufacturer left that you can do that with to my knowledge. But last I knew you still could do so with Seals. They are barely 60 miles away from me - one of these days I should find an excuse to stop by when I am driving in that direction.
Last time I bought a skirt it was from these folks. After using their measuring method and their chart I would strongly suggest you order the next size BIGGER on the chart. The (bigger) model I got has worked just fine. It’s the Shockwave model. If they haven’t changed their chart in the last year or two they run small.
I ordered a Seals fitness skirt for my Epic 18X in April, not a boat listed on their website. Involved taking a tracing of the cockpit outer edge to REI and picking up the skirt there, which I found odd. Also took 3 months, they are a bit behind. Nice skirt.
You still have to actually purchase the skirt from a dealer. I arranged with Snap Dragon directly for a modification to one, but they suggested a dealer from which I actually purchased the changed skirt.